Tehran will not be the instigator of hostilities with the US in the region, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has said. The countries traded military threats earlier this week.
Rouhani made his comments during a phone call with the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, on Saturday. "The Islamic Republic of Iran closely monitors and tracks the activities and movements of the Americans, but will never initiate any conflict or tension in the region," he said.
At the same time, Rouhani reiterated that Tehran considers the US sanctions against the country illegal under international law, and said that they are preventing the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from lending Iran money amid the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
